Hooking his thumbs around his red suspenders, he studied her from the tip of her hat to the toe of her polished high-button shoes. “The bigger mistake might have been hitchin’ up with me.”

She drew back. “Why…why would you say such a thing?”

“I’m just a pharmacist.”

“I’m well aware of that,” she said. That was one of the things she’d found so appealing about him. Chemistry had been one of her favorite subjects in school, and she’d thought she could be an asset to him. She also liked that he had downplayed the importance of what he did and found his modesty refreshing. Most men tended to exaggerate their circumstances, making themselves sound more successful than they were. “You made that quite clear in your letters.”

“Then you know McKnight can give you a better life than I can.”

She frowned. “On a cattle ranch?” The mere thought of living in such a godforsaken place made her shudder.

His gaze sharpened. “That’s where the real gold is.”

She drew herself to her full height. “Had I cared about money, I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you in the first place.”

“Had I known the kind of lady you were, I wouldn’t have asked you to.”

Hearing censure in his voice, she stiffened. “And…and what kind of lady am I?”

“The expensive kind.” He let that sink in for a moment before adding, “Most of my customers can’t afford to pay me.” He shook his head, his face suffused with regret. “Sorry, but I can’t afford to give you fancy clothes or…” He lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “I can’t even offer you a proper home. I live upstairs. You’d be much better off with McKnight.”

Emily stared at him in disbelief. “That’s it?” she asked. “You take one look at me and decide I’m a…a…a gold digger?”

He shook his head in protest. “Oh, no, ma’am. I never said that. Never even thought it. It’s just… I can see you’re a fine lady, and I’m just a poor druggist.” He pulled his hands away from his suspenders and dropped them to his sides. “Let’s not make this any harder than it already is.”

Not wanting to give up so easily, Emily’s mind scrambled. “I-I don’t understand. I knew what I was getting into. You were honest in your letters, and I was honest with you.” Or as honest as she dared to be. She hadn’t told him everything. How could she?

“Yes, but when you said your uncle was a businessman, I had no idea…” His gaze traveled the length of her again. “Naturally I thought you were equally impoverished and used to living a simple life.”

“I don’t deny that my uncle was once a wealthy man, but”—she searched for words—“recent circumstances changed all that. I now have no money of my own. Not even a dowry.”

“That’s why you’ll be better off married to McKnight. He can give you the life you’re accustomed to.”

“I sincerely hope not!” she exclaimed. The kind of life she’d had in Boston had come at a price too high to pay. She would gladly live in insolvency if it meant being able to once again hold up her head.